Few who follow Piedmont with passion have not been marked by a given wine or two from Bruno Giacosa. For me it was a 1974 Barolo that first turned my head. More recently, the 2000 and 2001 Riserva Rocche del Falletto were near perfection. Never wild or wooly like his counterparts Elio Altare, Roberto Voerzio or Domenico Clerico, Bruno has always been modest, a touch shy and exquisitely old fashioned. There is no new wood here; nor any barrels. I was a touch surprised that the estate made no 2006 Riserva, perhaps due to Bruno's illness that year, but enjoyed tasting the 2007 this afternoon with his new winemaker, Francesco Versio. As Bruno himself, born in 1929, has aged quicker than some of his wines, it is more often his daughter, Bruna, who appears in public. Friends were thus pleased that his long time oenologist, Dante Scaglione, returned to the fold in 2008, but it would appear that Francesco is doing the hands on work on a day to day basis. In any case, the iconic 'red label' will also be released again from both the 2008 and 2011 vintages. Comments